December 2007

I’m finally done with the semester! Whoever decided that exams could run until the 19th and then slated my last boring general education requirement class on the last exam period of the last day, 4:30 pm on the 19th, is evil. But now I have time to do more things like baking! Ok, or, if I were honest with myself and you all, go dancing, stay up the whole night, and then sleep the day away. I’m loving life.

On Monday, while writing my last paper of the semester (it’s amazing how 10 pages seems so short now–I started the paper on Monday and finished it by 9 pm) I decided to play around with the vegan eggnog some more. My general love of cupcakes prevailed and since cookies don’t really call for milk, I could only use the eggnog in a more cake-like substance anyway.

Two of my good friends served as taste testers and the review was positive. I think they really taste like eggnog and I love the spiciness coupled with the chocolate ganche. I think they’d pair well with dark chocolate stout cupcakes with peppermint frosting.

I knew that the 75 degree sunny gorgeous weather wouldn’t last, but did it really have to drop from 70 to 20 degrees in one day? My body isn’t a fan of that! I don’t have central heat in my apartment either, so my cats and I feel the impact even more. Let me tell you, those cats didn’t leave my side all night. It was one cozy cuddle party in my bed. (smile)

Last week I made this recipe for Ginger Miso Soup from Kitchen Caravan and fell in love with it. Who doesn’t love gingery, noodley, kaley, brothy soup? Exactly. They suggest 2 inches of ginger, but my personal suggestion is 2+ inches of ginger. I can’t get enough of the rhizome. Note: ginger is not a root.

I also discovered that this soup made me feel 800 times better while I was sick. Cha-ching! So last night I made it again, because really, it’s too cold and I want to be a lot warmer than I am. The recipe is super easy, I didn’t even need the recipe the second time, and I’d recommend making this to anyone who is sick, is cold, or wants a soup that feels like chicken noodle but is definitely not chickeny (but is noodley!).

Make the ginger broth by grating the knob of ginger with a cheese grater, and then putting it into a pot with the 6 cups of water. You should have about 2 tablespoons of grated ginger to infuse. [cp note: I used a vegetable peeler to “grate” the ginger since I don’t have a grater anymore. It seemed to work just fine.]

Bring the water to a boil and simmer slightly for about 15 minutes. Let it sit for another 15 minutes if you can, but you are welcome to go along at this point.

Bring another pot of water to a boil. Cook the soba noodles for about 6 minutes in the boiling water, drain, and rinse them with cold water. Set the cooked noodles aside.

Drain the infused ginger broth of the grated ginger and bring the liquid to a boil.

Add in the shitake mushrooms and simmer until soft, and then add in the kale and simmer until cooked through. Turn off the heat.

Now, place the miso into a small bowl. Pour in some of the soup water, and soften the miso. Pour everything back into the pot and stir until the miso is well integrated into the soup.

*I suggest letting the soup sit for at least 15 minutes before serving. Honestly, it tastes the best the day after. I’m not sure why, but the ginger flavor seems stronger after sitting.

When it rains, it pours. I wish that statement were in reference to the weather (Georgia desperately needs water), but it’s more ab0ut life right now. Needless to say, I wish I hadn’t eaten/shared all of these scones by today–I could have used a pick-me-up!

Being the holiday season and all (Christmas for me), I have a carton of Silk Nog in my fridge and I’d eyed a vegan eggnog muffin recipe, but I didn’t really want to make muffins. Since I’d made date scones before (at the bakery), I figured I could substitute the eggnog for the soy milk, add a few extra spices, and have tasty eggnog chocolate chunk scones.

Combine the the flour, baking powder, sugar and spices in a mixing bowl. Cut the Earth Balance into the dry mix until a coarse crumb forms. Stir in the chocolate chunks. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour in the vegan eggnog. Mix in, then work together with well-floured hands to make a soft dough, then form into a ball. If the dough is too sticky, work in a little more flour.

On a well-floured board, roll the dough out into a 1/2-inch thick round. Place on a floured baking sheet and with a sharp knife, cut into 8 wedges halfway through the dough.

It’s that time of the year again. Time for parties for hosting, marshmallows for roasting (toasting? Can you roast a marshmallow???), and caroling out in the snow…

…um, no. It’s finals week(andahalf). It’s time for stress, no sleep, too much coffee (way too much coffee, I’m getting sick of drinking it), too much typing, and the messiest house ever. It’s time to eat veggie burgers and chips and salsa and peanut butter on granny smith apples (my favorite snack EVER at the moment). It’s time for me to disappear from the blogging world, which I would, except it’s such a wonderful place to procrastinate in–goddamnit, I’m tired of wrting about Samuel Beckett and Deleuze and Guattari and becoming-animal.

So what do I make when I have to study, when I have to maintain a high level of caffeine in my body, when I don’t have time to make anything? This blog ain’t called Cupcake Punk for nothing.

Technically, I made these for my friend who moved back North to Philly today. I’ve driven the stretch between Atlanta and Philly several times this year and I know how long and boring and trafficy it can be. So I made here a sweet little caffeinated treat to keep her awake and happy. Luckily for me, it does the same thing for studying.

So whether you’re driving or studying this holiday season, do yourself a favor. Take a little time, make a little treat, drive safe, study well, and eat chocolate!

For the icing:1/2 c Earth Balance margarine3-4 c powdered sugar (more or less, I never measure, just mix till I have the consistency I want)1/4 c cold strong coffee2 tsp instant coffee

For the cupcakes:

Preheat the oven to 350.

Mix the apple cider vinegar into the soy milk with a whisk. Set aside to curdle for ~10 minutes.

In a separate bowl, mix the oil, sugar, coffee, and vanilla together until combined. Add the soy milk mixture. Mix well.

Add dry ingredients to the bowl and mix until smooth–no lumps.

Pour batter into a lined or oiled cupcake tin (muffin tin, whatever tin you have). Bake for 20-25 minutes or until firm to the touch and an inserted knife comes out clean.

For the icing:

With an electric mixer, mix the margarine until smooth. Slowly add the powdered sugar until the margarine/sugar clumps together. Slowly add the liquid coffee until the mixture is smooth. Add more sugar to the mix if needed until the consistency is what you want. Add the instant coffee at the end.

Thanks to a bicycle accident last week, my soul has been getting a workout lately. Today I walked a total of 8 or 9 miles to and from school. Being unable to ride a bike definitely slows down life. And what I would give for a working, efficient public transit system. Ironically it takes 20 minutes to bike to campus, 45 minutes to an hour to ride the bus, and 1 hour to walk. Given the choice of $1.75 each way for a ridiculously slow walk+bus ride, I’ve decided to walk. Luckily Georgia has a few beautiful tricks up her sleeve.

I’m almost dumbfounded anytime I see standing water now. Given the drought in Georgia and the fact that my city is about to run out water, seeing it on the ground is almost a miracle. Too bad it’s too early to call this one a Christmas miracle. I crossed the south fork of Peachtree Creek a couple of times and it was running strong–higher than in May when I monitored it with the USGS. Funny how things work. But then again, I wrecked my bike because it rained for the first time in over a month and the roads were quite slick.

American Holly–Ilex opaca— lines the sidewalk in the historic area of Druid Hills. It seems all the rage with the rich people. Personally, I just like that nature comes out in full force for the winter season some times. It’s ridiculously difficult to identify plants in the winter–my deciduous tree i.d. tests were always bad this time of year, leaf scars and buds can only tell you so much before it all looks alike. Luckily little opaca likes to be most vibrant when everything else seems to die down. She’s such the optimist!

But then again, this is Georgia. It may be 30 or 40 something degrees outside, but we seem to always have azaleas blooming. This purple azalea is a native one, I’m not sure which species, and there were only a few blooms on the bush, but it’s certainly an interesting juxtaposition to the holly berries and Christmas wreaths gracing every house!

Although I was a couple of minutes late to class–Southern Literature–it was well worth it. I wasn’t stressed out all day, I was able to sip coffee and snap photographs on my commute, and the squirrels and woodpeckers and I had several conversations and chase scenes (the squirrels like being chased, I swear). Walking is so archaic in Atlanta–no one does it–but I really think it’s one of the best ways to rediscover the environment.